1. Field of the Invention
Among other things, the present invention is related to a holder mounted to a conveyor frame. The holder includes a mounting bracket and a pivoting bracket. A plurality of holders are mounted to the conveyor frame to grip tautly the beading of the conveyor belt as the belt circulates about the conveyor. Due to a holder's unique structure, without the use of tools, the holder can manually be opened to release the beading and the conveyor belt, or manually closed to grip the beading.
2. Description of the Previous Art
1) U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,466-Almes, et. al., owned by Applicant, discloses a belt conveyor with a belt reinforcing member. FIG. 1 discloses a beading and a beading holder. However, the '466 patent is silent regarding a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
2) U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,102-Schoning, owned by Applicant, enables a belt conveyor with rotary guides for marginal portions of the belt. FIG. 3 discloses a beading and a beading holder. However, like Almes, the '102 patent is silent regarding a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
3) U.S. Pat. No. 1,254,941-Snow discloses a corner for conveyors. The Snow Patent does not teach a beading or a beading holder.
4) U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,861-Daniluk, et al. describes an endless belt conveyor. The Daniluk Patent teaches the use of grommets 52 and rollers 54. The '861 patent does not disclose a beading or a beading holder.
5) U.S. Pat. No. 3,901,379-Bruhm teaches an angular guidance for conveyor belt systems. Columns 2 and 3 teach, “As shown in FIG. 4 the shoulder 10 is provided with oblique side faces 17 against which the cylindrical running surfaces of rollers 12 and 14 come to rest, which rollers are uniformly spaced over the entire length of the edge rail 4. The rollers 12 on the external sides of the belt are equipped with axes 13 while the rollers 14 mounted on the inner side are provided with axes 15 . . . The roller pairs 12 and 14 are housed in portion 7a of the curve guidance frame 7, which portion encompasses shoulder 10.” The '379 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
6) U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,949-Kleysteuber, et al. discloses a traverse bendable endless belt conveyor. FIG. 3 and Column 4 reveal, “Brackets 24, 25 support the rollers 15, 16 that hold the respective beads 12, 13. The drive motors 17 along the upper run are positioned within the bracket and framework 20, as shown. Suitable support casters 26, 27, or other support feet, such as skids, are provided along the bottom cross member 23 for support of the structure on the floor F of a mining passage, for example.” The '949 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
7) U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,338-Widmer enables a curved conveyor element. Column 2 teaches, “Rollers 19, during their rotation on pin 18, are supported on their jacket surfaces by a guide face 23 of guide rails 13 and 14. In this embodiment of the invention, dog members 22 are fastened to conveyor belt 1 by rivets 24 and 25 and a tongue 26, conveyor belt 1 being pulled by dog members 22. The dog members are disposed below the upper reach 1a of conveyor belt 1 so that goods being transported may project beyond the outer curvature of the conveyor belt when traveling through the curves.” The '338 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
8) U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,925-Chrysler enables a conveyor for transporting articles along a curved path. FIG. 3 and Column 4 teach, “The outer frame 116 includes an upper pair of guide rails 136, 138 arranged adjacent the upper portion of the endless belt 132 and a lower pair of guide rails 140, 142 arranged adjacent the lower portion of the endless belt. The first pair of guide rails 136, 138 are horizontally and vertically offset from each other and extend continuously along the length of the outer edge of the upper portion of the endless belt 132. Similarly, the lower pair of guide rails 140, 142 are horizontally and vertically offset from each other and extend continuously along the length of the outer edge of the lower portion of the endless belt 132. As a result of the spaced apart relationship between guide rails 136 and 138 and guide rails 140 and 142, there is formed an upper path 144 and a lower path 146, respectively, for receiving a plurality of guide assemblies 148.” The '925 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
9) U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,082-Sommerfield describes a conveyor turn drive. Column 3 reads, “A guide rail 31 wall forming part of the outer rail structure is slotted to receive the upper course 30a (refer to FIG. 4) of the belt, which rides on a bed structure indicated at 32 forming part of on the frame of the machine. A series of guide rollers 33 is secured to the belt along a line parallel to the outer edge for engagement with the guide rail 31 above and below the slot engaged by the belt. The lower (return) course of the belt is engaged in a similar slot in the portion of the guide rail 31 opposite the path of the lower course.” The '082 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
10) U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,083-Axmann enables a curved belt conveyor. Column 4 reads:                Any unavoidable longitudinal and transverse forces that occur as belt 11 circulates are accommodated by the smooth-out rollers 40 that rest against the side of elevation 32 facing the center of curvature. Any irregularities in the advance of the belt are compensated for by the resilient force of the rollers mounted on the pivoting levers 42. It has been demonstrated that wear on elevation 32 and belt 11 deriving from the pressure of smooth-out rollers 40 can be maintained very slight.        FIG. 3 illustrates only how the elevation 32 on upper strand 14 is engaged. The mechanisms and actions in the vicinity of the lower strand are identical.        In this embodiment pairs comprising one smooth-out roller 40 and one hold-down roller 41 rest against the elevation 32 at the edge of belt 11, the hold-down rollers against the top of the elevation and the smooth-out rollers against its inner side. Since the same situation occurs at the lower strand, the two strands will always rest precisely against belt-backing rollers 18.        Each smooth-out roller 40 rotates freely at an acute angle and each hold-down roller 41 perpendicular to belt 11 on the same lever 42. The lever pivots at pivot 43 on a countervailing bearing 44 that can be raised or lowered in a bracket 45 secured to outside wall 16. The bracket is an upside-down L with its upright secured to outside wall 16 and the its arm projecting toward the center 13 of curvature at a level above the belt. The countervailing bearing 44 for the lever 42 that hold-down roller 41 and smooth-out roller 40 rotate on is a threaded bolt that extends through the arm and is adjusted in height by nuts 46 and 46′ that screw tight against the arm.        The hold-down roller 41 in each pair of rollers is maintained in position by raising or lowering countervailing bearing 44 and hence the pivot 43 that the lever 42 accommodating rollers 40 and 41 pivots from. The oblique smooth-out roller 40, however, is as aforesaid forced against the side of elevation 32 facing the center of curvature by tension spring 47. One end of tension spring 47 is attached to roller-accommodating lever 42 and the other end to another countervailing bearing in the form of a bolt 48 secured to outside wall 16. Bolt 48 is threaded and screws into a matching threaded bore of the bracket 45 of outside wall 16. The bolt is maintained in adjustment to the bracket and wall by a nut 49.        
Axmann's spring 47 is attached to his roller-accommodating lever 42. Among other things, unlike Applicants' invention, the '083 patent does not disclose a spring-loaded bolt that connects a pivoting bracket to a mounting bracket and forces the pivoting bracket to contact the mounting bracket.
11) U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,977-Cline enables an apparatus for use in replacing conveyor belts. Column 3 discloses:                In FIG. 1, there is illustrated a power turn 2 comprising an endless conveyor belt 4 having an arcuate outer edge portion 6 and an arcuate inner edge portion 8. The endless conveyor belt 4 is mounted around conical rolls 10, only one shown, mounted on a frame 12. A portion of the frame 12 includes an arcuate support 14, in FIG. 2. A plurality of bearing standoffs 16 are mounted at circumferentially spaced apart locations on the arcuate support 14 using headed threaded bolts 18 threaded into threaded openings (not shown) in the arcuate support 14. Each bearing standoff 16 has a central body portion 20, an upper portion 22 which projects upwardly from the central body portion 20 and is inclined relative thereto and a lower portion 24 which projects downwardly from the central body portion 20 and is inclined relative thereto. Each of the upper and lower portions has an opening 26 and a slot 28 formed therein, FIG. 3, for purposes described below.        An angle bracket 40, FIG. 4, is mounted on each of the upper and lower portions 22 and 24. The angle bracket 40 has a first portion 42 and a second portion 44 having a 90 degree relationship. A roller bearing 46 having a cylindrical surface 48 is mounted on each second portion 44 using a headed threaded bolt 50 threaded into a threaded opening 52 in the second portion 44. The first portion 42 has a threaded opening 54 and a slot 56 having an off-set arcuate opening 58 formed therein.        The first portion 42 is pivotally mounted on each of the upper and lower portions 22 and 24 using a headed threaded bolt 60 passing through the opening 26 and threaded into the threaded opening 54. A roller bearing 62 having a cylindrical surface 64 is mounted on the first portion 42 using a headed threaded bolt 66 passing through the slot 28 and the arcuate opening 58, and the roller bearing 62 is secured where desired by the threaded nut 68.        
Cline teaches the use of bolts 60 to mount bracket 40, roller bearing 62, roller bearing 46 to standoff 16. Cline's mount bracket 40 is not pivotable. The '977 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
12) U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,975-Wells defines a curved belt conveyor. Columns 3 and 4 read:                On the occurrence of a need to change the belt of the conveyor, the nut 48 may be slackened, and the slide plate 32 lifted relative to the wall 14, the lug 46 moved upwardly on the bolt 44, causing the trackway parts 22a, 24a to separate from the trackway parts 22b, 24b. Shown generally in dotted lines in FIG. 2. Such separation allows the roller assemblies 18 to pass between the said trackway parts, allowing the conveyor belt to be drawn on both upper and lower reaches from the frame in the direction C inwardly of the corner unit. Necessary repair or maintenance which may typically be replacement of one of the roller assemblies, or replacement of the bearing strip 26, of effective repair to the belt itself, may then be carried out relatively easily, prior to the remounting of the conveyor belt on the frusto-conical rollers 10, and return of the trackway parts of their FIG. 2 positions. Finally, the end most roller 10 may be moved outwardly to tension the belt, prior to recommencement of use of the conveyor system.        
The '975 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.
13) U.S. Pat. No. 6,564,931 B1-Edelmann enables a belt conveyor. Columns 5 and 6 read, “The guide rollers 12 are fastened on angled retaining arms 13 of a retaining structure 14 such that they act on the toothed-belt component 9 and/or on the bead 11 by way of inclined running surfaces. 15 designates bores of the retaining structure 14 which serve for external fastening on the belt table. The counterpressure device 10 is positioned and secured by a connection to the retaining arm 13, this connection being indicated by the dashed drill line designated 16.” The '931 patent does not teach or disclose a spring loaded pivoting beading holder.